Berry Patch in Fantasia
by Kinomi Shouyou
Summary: When Kinomi Shouyou, an average human girl from the outside world, is sucked into Gensokyo via Gap; everything is turned upsidedown. Whether its attacking or adventuring, Kinomi's done it with Yukari as her "caretaker".
1. Reeled in by a Youkai

Berry Patch in Fantasia

Chapter 1: Reeled in by a Youkai

When I regained consciousness, I couldn't open my eyes, but I did hear voices. To my utter "what?" I found my skirt being yanked on by a fishing line.

"I got one, I got one!"

"I bet it's a tire or something."

"No, it feels like clothes!"

The voices went back and forth to each other, debating on what their catch would be and when it would rise out of the danged hole.

I flopped onto the soft ground and lay there in what felt like a very awkward position; waiting for another word.

"Is it alive?"

"Let's find out!"

Two cold, scrawny fingers trailed from my lower back up to my neck like a walking motion. A dainty fingernail rested on the point where the person would find my pulse.

"It's alive. Oh yay!"

The person picked me up by my collar and examined me. I almost shrieked with delight and horror at just who was holding me like a rag doll.

A pointed face with two golden eyes like diamonds peered at me with a smile. Her layered, frilly white gown had an all too familiar purple and orange banner down the front. Her blond hair adorned with ribbons elegantly draped over her back.

Behind her was a tall woman with nine golden foxtails. Her outfit was a white kimono with a blue-patterned banner like my bearer's. Her hat, however, looked strangely like pantyhose with amulets atop her golden bowlcut-like hair.

"Aww. Ran, isn't it cute?"

Ran bent her head over so she could see behind her master. "Yes, Miss Yukari."

"Tell me now," She raised me a little, "Are you human?"

I nodded, still in bewilderment.

The border mistress nodded and smiled again, "Good good. Are you a female?"

Again I nodded.

She seemed to almost dance until she remembered I was in her hands. "Oh good! We've been having all sorts of male humans turn up lately that I've been wanting a little girl to toy with!"

'_Little girl to toy with' isn't exactly comforting. Especially coming from Yukari._

"Mistress?" The Shikigami stepped beside Yukari.

"What is it, Ran?"

"If you're done fishing for playthings, then I'd suggest we get home."

Yukari smiled deviously and set me down. "Yes, you're right. But first…"

She opened a wide gap into the open air and out popped a little blue collar with a bell on it and a matching leash.

_I am not a pet._

"Come, my pet! To the Yakumo residence we go!"

Having no choice at all to resist going with one of Gensokyo's most powerful youkai, I simply did whatever Yukari told me to do.

We arrived at a wide single-story white house with a brown roof. It actually looked like a regular house.

Ran opened the door for her Mistress. Yukari picked up her frilly dress and entered the main room.

We were greeted by a nekomata with a little ball clutched in her red, catlike nails. A pair of cat ears and a green cap accompanied her brown, spiked hair. She wore a red and gold vest with a white shirt under it. Her skirt perfectly matched the vest. Trailing down the back of her skirt were two brown tails that looked like a cat's. This was obviously Chen.

"Ran! Yukari-sama!" She dashed to her Mistress and her Mistress' Mistress and hugged them both. It looked odd because she was so tiny in comparison to the elder Youkai.

As I looked at the gathering of odd clothes and animal tails, I looked at my own clothes – normal and human like.

Yukari shoved me through the doorway and into the living room. Chen curiously followed while Ran hovered by Yukari.

"What is this, Master?" Chen scampered by me and fiddled with my limbs.

"That, Chen, is a human. Fragile, most likely." Yukari grinned at the little cat girl.

"Can I play with her?" Chen's eyes lit up with a childish sparkle.

_I hope play doesn't mean rip to pieces with a spell card._

Ran pet her Shikigami on the head and rustled her brown, spiky hair. "You can once she's not so terrified as to move a muscle."

Yukari carefully drew up a border shaped like a hammock and rested on it – suspended in the air.

Chen just continued to stare at me while she examined my facial features. Ran picked up a newspaper and handed it to her lazy Mistress. The Kitsune muttered something into Yukari's ear, which caused her to take a little more caution with me.

"Ah yes, the human girl." Her border vanished as she approached me. "She certainly isn't of Gensokyo."

Ran sighed, "Obviously."


	2. Decisions, Decisions

Chapter 2: Decisions, Decisions.

"What to do with you?" She tapped her finger on her lip and stamped her satin slipper. "I've got it!" All attention turned to Yukari, "We'll see how you act in three days, and then I'll decide."

_So I have three days to live. Way to go, Kinomi. _

Chen's ears drooped and quivered, "Can I play with it, _now_?"

"Chen, patience." Ran scolded the nekomata.

"Are you going to get up, or just sit there all day?" Yukari swung out a ribbon-coated parasol and rested it on her shoulder.

I swallowed hard and got up off the hardwood floors. The house reminded me of my home, just filled with crazy people who could kill me with a snap of their fingers.

"Do you have a name, child?" Yukari fingered my chin.

_Name… Oh yeah. Duh._

"K… Kinomi." I spoke timidly, which is quite unusual for me.

"Berry? That's an odd name. But all is odd in the outside world. ~" She twirled, causing her layered dress to expand greatly.

Yukari scanned me and scowled, "We have to change your wardrobe. Something to fit a Yakumo dog."

_At least I'm not Satori's pet. Then I'd have to work._

The border youkai opened a slightly more elegant rift; this one with bows holding the ends like curtains. She stuck half her body through and muttered approvals to herself until she came out with a very, _very_ girly dress.

It was white with a pink ribbon-lined skirt cover like Tenshi. The dress looked like a royalty's corset with puffy sleeves and hot pink bows attached wherever any space was left.

_I guess it's okay_.

My blank and confused expression was still glued to my face when she handed me the dress, gesturing for me to try it on.

I slipped on the dress over my thin white shorts and slim yellow tank top. Yukari smiled with great pleasure.

"You look just like I did when I was an infant youkai, but obviously your style is a little different. Seeing as you are a human."

Her smile quickly faded when she whipped out her parasol (still folded) and tapped it right under my chin.

"Do you talk, human?"

A period of silence.

"SPEAK!"

She thrashed her parasol upward, knocking my whole head back and causing me to collapse.

I sobbed at the intense pain. Not only from the impact, but also from the hard tip of the shady weapon.

"Yukari!" Ran had obviously seen the act.

"What?" She turned to her Shikigami.

Ran helped me up and whispered if I was okay. I nodded, but obviously lying. "Don't be so cruel to the poor girl."

"Fine."

Yukari cooled down a little bit and returned to her cheery, teasing self.

"Is there anything you want for lunch, child?"

By this point, I was sick of being called "child" by this short-tempered woman.

"M… My name, I said… Is Kino… Mi."

Yukari devilishly grinned, "Ah, so the girl speaks. Perhaps she will be of some use to keep after all. And, that brings me to my previously asked question. What is your food preference?"

I immediately thought of the delicious food I had eaten in the real world.

"Any food?"

"Any food. ~"

I pondered this for a long time, making sure to pick a wonderful meal. Especially since Yukari was around.

"Chicken?" I spoke with an oddly squeaky voice.

"Oh come now, Kin-Kin. You've got to be more specific than that." The youkai teased over her shoulder.

"Baked… Crusted in cheese… and with mashed potatoes!"

The Yakumos chuckled, "A girl that gets excited over food? That's fine. It's nice to be easily entertained."

Yukari opened a wide border, expecting the meal to be large. She stuck both hands in and took them out along with oven mitts and exactly what I had ordered. A baked chicken crusted in cheese and served with mashed potatoes.

My eyes lit up and reflected the gorgeous chicken with a perfect crisp. Ran set the table while Chen tried to sneak a drumstick, getting her hand slapped multiple times.

"Will you sit, Kin-Kin?" The nickname was her way of avoiding calling people by full names. Must be a youkai thing.

Chen settled a pair of red chopsticks with a fractal pattern on them in her hands. She was served a drumstick and attempted to pick it up with chopsticks. Failing to grasp it, she groaned and Ran slapped her forehead with her hand.

"Chen," Yukari pulled the utensils out of the cat's hands, "You eat it with your hands, like so." And she demonstrated.

Chen hesitantly picked up the juicy meat and bit down hard, revealing her pointed teeth. She seemed to purr with gratitude.

I did the same with my drumstick, but since I knew how to eat the chicken correctly, I was the first one done; Yukari finished shortly after, followed by Ran and Chen.

Ran sighed at Chen trying to nibble the crisp skin on the bone and addressed me; "Do you people ever eat with chopsticks?"

I would have laughed, but I was still a bit in shock from chin concussion, "Americans sometimes do, but the food there is far different then what you get here."

Yukari's glance turned to me, hypnotically piercing me with the diamond pupils; "Do you know anything else about Gensokyo?"


	3. Visiting a Friend

Chapter 3: Visiting a friend

A woman who lived here longer than my ancestors have existed was trivially challenging me. "Well, some…"

She leaned over the table, resting her hand on the glass top – intrigued. "Like what? Do you know who we are?"

I nodded and pointed to the corresponding person, "Yukari Yakumo, Ran Yakumo, and Chen."

Chen hissed a little when her name was said last without a last name.

"Very good," Yukari continued with her closed eye smile, "Our abilities?"

_What was Ran…? What was Ran…?_

"You're borders, you're control over Chen, and you're… Black magic?"

The Cat harrumphed, "You only got it 'cause of my tails!" Those very tails swished at her side like cobras waiting to attack.

"Chen, you're brown." Ran sighed yet again.

"You're a knowledgeable little human girl. Any other people you know?"

"The list would go on forever…"

Yukari chuckled, "What about my friends?"

"Reimu, Suika… Oh! And Yuyuko Saigyouji!"

Yukari slightly giggled, "You seem so excited about Yuyuko."

Ran dramatically emphasized sarcasm, "Oh hum. A human who loves food gets excited over Yuyuko? Oh my, that certainly isn't normal."

Chen laughed at her Mistress' silly act while Yukari sneered. "Indeed… Should we go there now?"

"Yukari-Sama, it's too late to visit her house."

"Is it now?" Two Rifts opened beside Yukari. One had blackness and the moon, while the other emanated brightness and the sun. The vortexes disappeared and the sun was in the middle of the sky. "I think you need to glance at the window, Ran."

The fox sighed, got up, and cleaned up everybody's platters and utensils.

Yukari lazily whirled off her chair and snatched her parasol from one of her gaps, walking to the door. "Shall we go, Kin-Kin?"

Excited, I got up, eager to see the person I had admired as a favorite.

Chen scooted next to us and tugged on my leash.

"Ouch!"

"Tee hee, this is fun!" She yanked rapidly on the grogaine tied to my neck.

Yukari wagged a finger at the kitten, "Chen-chan, don't kill my plaything. ~"

I gulped.

"What? So far, I've nothing else to call you." She playfully smirked.

Ran finally caught up with us as we started a little down the staircase.

"Shouldn't we go through the borders today, Miss?"

Yukari protested. "Exercise doesn't hurt, Ran."

Ran grumbled and quickened her pace; "It doesn't hurt me, but remember, we have a _human girl_?"

"Right…" Yukari looked at me, a little displeased, "The plaything has no powers. And humans can't fly… All right. To the gaps, little one!"

Not to my surprise, the youkai ripped open another gaping hole into space and shoved us through. We all ended up at the top of a ridiculously huge staircase in front of a gate sealed by magic.

A five-foot-tall girl with perfectly trimmed silver hair tucked back in a black headband greeted us as the edifice of a gate opened.

The girl's torso ensemble matched Chen's, but green rather than red.

Her skirt was green, but I didn't notice she wielded two katanas. When I saw her ghost, I knew who she was.

"Youmu!" I burst out.

"Yes… Hello, do I know you?"

I shunned myself when Yukari stepped forward, "She's my newest plaything, she wanted to see Yuyuko."

Youmu's grip on her swords tightened, "… Is it safe?"

_Ok. Now I'm a little ticked._

"Of course it is!" Yukari patted me on the head.

Youmu stepped aside and led our odd group to Hakugyokurou, a massive house with the grandest garden where Yuyuko lives.

A short walk through the garden and we arrived at the front door of Yuyuko. Youmu slid the wood doors open to her Mistress sitting at the head of a humongous kotatsu – chowing on her fourteenth bowl of Katsudon.

"Youmu? ~" Yuyuko swallowed her bite, "We have visitors?"

"Yuko, dear." Yukari folded her parasol and tossed it to Ran.

Yuyuko clapped, "Yukari!"

"It is good to see you again, two days is such a long time. ~" The youkai teased.

Yuyuko gazed wide-eyed at me then at Yukari, "Who's this?"

"Ara, Ara," Yukari clasped her hands, "She is my human I fished out of a gap."

"Ooh! Does it do anything?"

Yukari "secretly" kicked my foot, wanting me to say something.

"H… Hello, Yuyuko."

"It speaks! It speaks!" The ghost rejoiced, "Do you do anything else?"

My mouth opened, but Yukari stole my chance to speak, "I'm giving her three days to see if she's worth having around. If not, I'll just throw her away like the rest of them."

"How will you rid of her?"

Yukari devilishly grinned, "Burning, Drowning, Suffocating, Freezing. All fine methods of torture, but all too fast. Perhaps a slow-cooked meal?"

The thoughts of being roasted alive, paperweighted to the sea, and being set in a field with a blaze all made my insides turn.

"I wonder how a human would taste?" Yuyuko smacked her lips and stared at my arms.

"In due time, we'll know, Yuko dear."

"Would you like some lunch?" Yuyuko held a little dish out for her friend.

Yukari shook her hand, "No, thank you, Yuko dear. We just ate a dish thought up by my little plaything." Yukari kicked me again, "What was that dish?"

I almost didn't want to say it just because Yuyuko might eat me alive at the description; "It was baked chicken with a cheese crust and some potatoes."

Yuyuko's pupils massively enlarged, "… Chicken?"

Youmu's eyes went wide, too, but with fear.

Yuyuko evilly grinned with squinted eyes, "I think I could go for some chicken."


	4. A Walk in the Garden

Chapter 4: A Walk in the Garden

I knew what this meant. From all I had heard and seen, Yuyuko would stop at nothing to get a platter of chicken, and Youmu wanted to stop her horrid bird-hunting antics.

"Miss, you never catch her." Youmu protested.

"I can't," She slyly agreed, "But you can!"

"W-what!" She outraged.

Yukari shoved me next to Youmu, "Take the little girl, too! If she catches the bird, it will fare good for her fate."

She stared at me with the happy "I'm going to kill you if you don't get it right ~" face.

"Y… Yes!" Youmu and I said in unison.

Yukari shoved us both out the door as she talked, "Well go, then! Time is hunger!"

The gardener and I were a little annoyed at Yukari, but I think Youmu was mainly mad at me for bringing up the chicken.

We walked for a few minutes until a question glued to Youmu's mind broke the silence.

"So how did you know my name?"

_Oh drat._

"I just… know a lot about Gensokyo from the outside world." I totally lied.

"I see. From stories or what?"

_Again, oh drat._

"Stories, yes."

Youmu considered this and stuttered on her next question, "W-were any about m-me or the Mis-tress?"

"Yes, yes. One very major one." I grinned.

"What was it about?" She drew closer in interest.

I thought of how to sum up that story, "You and Yuyuko were gathering spring to-"

"Oh, that one." She sounded displeased.

I had to think of something fast to get her perkier. "But… There was one where you helped restore the corrupted moon… And solving a flower outbreak."

Myon, her ghost, swirled around her. "Ah yes, the flower outbreak. She _did _get a little mad at me for not bringing her along."

More silence.

"So," I started up a question, "Where is this bird?"

Youmu kept walking, "She usually sits in the forest by the human village. Her song attracts humans, so you should be careful when we meet her."

"How do we get so far in Gensokyo before Yuyuko starts eating the table?" I laughed.

Youmu laughed a little, too. "We fly."

_Hello there, I'm a human, nice to meet you._

"But," I shied away a tad; "I can't fly."

The girl sighed, "As I expected to hear." She pondered ideas for a moment, "Then I'll just have to carry you."

I shuddered just a little, wondering if she would drop me when bringing out her swords. "Okay." I quietly agreed.

We stepped out the door and Youmu stood, surveying the sky's heavy fog. She held out her right hand.

I hesitantly took it, risking getting scolded. Her impatience took over when I had a grip, and she rocketed off the stone platform.

We passed over many sights I had only heard of from real-world works. We flew over the Prismriver sisters practicing, Yukari's desolate house in Mayohiga Village, and then a river of trees. Youmu slowly descended at the start of the green oasis.

"We look through this whole place?" My eyes almost grew too big for my head.

"No, we walk and we wait. When she sees a human, she'll start to sing."

I blinked, "Well that's a dull and easy target."

Youmu started walking slowly into the dark patches, "Easy to find, a swift one to catch."

"What do you want me to do?" I offered to help.

"You're the bait for Mystia."

"Excuse me?"

"She knows me and that I'd rip her limb by limb for the Mistress, but she's never seen you. When she notices you, she'll reveal herself and sing."

I absorbed all the information and spoke again, "So you just want me to walk until she comes out?"

She nodded, "Precisely. And since she's extremely loud and obnoxious, I can find her from where I am."

"Okay."


	5. To Catch a Sparrow

Chapter 5: To Catch a Sparrow

I walked for a good ten minutes until I noticed the sky was setting. That was when I realized that there's the "Night" in "Night Sparrow" for a reason.

Another twenty minutes passed until I heard a squawk, a flutter, and a screech.

The cause of the noises echoed slowly, "A girl in white, with head of blond. ~"

After the slow verse ended, a childish Sparrow Girl floated in front of me, singing.

Her hair was short and pink, her eyes the same color. A burgundy cap like the Prismrivers' sat atop the head of pink. Her dress was long and burgundy with buttons with "wings" spiraling down the skirt. Her purple and pink wings looked superimposed from the bird she represented.

"Who walks alone in sea of frond. ~" Mystia continued to sing.

"Ack." A purple mist enveloped my eyes, slightly blurring my vision.

"Sh- SKREEEE!" Youmu's Roukanken impaled Mystia from the side.

_Dear Lord, such violence._

Mystia darted into the sky; swiftly avoiding trees as a fountain of blood erupted from her left hip. Youmu followed after her with great speed, holding both swords behind her for agility.

"B-Bird Sign, Human Cage!" Mystia held up a card with those words on it and a bird drawing and the card vanished into air, leaving sparkles behind.

The danmaku duel had started. However, this card was used for Mystia to flee. Two sparrows circled Youmu, leaving a trail of red and blue triangle bullets. When the birds were finished, the suspended trails curled away and darted for Youmu.

"Show yourself, coward!" Youmu boomed.

Mystia swooped in, attempting to tackle Youmu, when the gardener looked too quickly for the bird and staked her right at the chest.

The horrid screams of a dying Sparrow were enough to make anybody's intestines curl.

_Ho…ly…_

I shuttered slightly away from the bloodied Mystia, who tried to limp away as fast as she could.

"You know…" Mystia choked, "I… I'll just come back… And this will go… on forever."

Youmu chuckled, "The more Mistress will have to eat, then."

_Come back? Must be another youkai thing._

The gardener picked up her mistress' dinner and loaded it over her back. She held out her hand and waited for me to take it, again. This time I hesitantly took it because Mystia was on the same shoulder as the arm I would fly on.

She took us back the same route we came to the forest. When we landed at the gate, I was curious at how it opened. Youmu stared at it for a few seconds, then the gate just… opened.

_That was anti-climactic._

We walked the same trail as the Yakumos and I did when we first arrived. Another interesting thought popped into my head.

_How will Yukari react when she sees we've caught Mystia?_

When we stepped up to the door, Yukari had opened it just when Youmu reached for it. Yuyuko saw the load over her servant's back and clapped and danced with glee.

"Dinner, dinner!" She sang.

"Good job," Yukari turned to me, looking sincerely pleased, "You're actually worth something rather than nothing." The happiness of her praise was drained from me.

Yuyuko began to drool uncontrollably, "C-cook it, Youmu… Now!"

Youmu crept to the kitchen and fired up the massive grill. As the fiery structure heated, she (disturbingly) removed the clothes off Mystia. Carelessly tossing her garbs to the ground. The next act was severing the wings off the childish bird, which looked more gruesome than losing a head.

I could hear the fresh blood of the wounds sizzling as it dripped onto the iron. The flames coated her and burned everything.

How could I watch? I didn't. I could hear everything just from the next room, bound to the seat next to Yukari by a leash.

Youmu set a whole platter of grilled chicken slices in front of her Mistress, awaiting dismissal. Yuyuko delightfully nodded and picked up the steaks, eating them whole.

A matter of minutes and the rather unladylike meal of Yuyuko's was finished. Turns out we had spent more time in the Netherworld than both Yukari and I had planned.

Yukari seemed to notice and stood up abruptly, slightly choking me with the leash.

"So sorry, dear Yuko, but we must be going. It's the plaything's first night in Gensokyo and she caught a bird! Must be awfully tired."

Yuyuko nodded as she wiped the crumbs off her face and pulled a strand of gristle out of her teeth. Yukari dragged me.

"Come, plaything. To the house, we go."

_She seems to enjoy announcing where we go next._

We arrived at the Yakumo residence after a rather uneventful trip through her gaps; I was already slightly used to it by now.

Yukari surveyed the room while the Shikigami resumed their usual positions in the household; Chen playing and Ran awaiting her Mistress' orders.

"Oh dear," Yukari playfully sighed, "Not right at all."

The youkai suddenly turned to the right and flexed her fingers. The empty wall space glowed and a door appeared – a new room inside.

"There," She rested her hand, "Is your new room. For now."

Yukari opened the door to a bedroom with a massive bed and a nightstand. The bed's concaveness made it look very comfortable.

The Border Youkai's personality suddenly switched from a playful sadist to a motherly hospitality. She shoved me inside and semi-pushed me onto the bed – tucking me in and floating lazily next to it.

"Dear, you can't sleep in that." Yukari smiled.

"What do you suppose I sleep in, then?" I asked.

"Hmm," The youkai pondered this, "These, perhaps?" She fell into her border and glided out a few seconds later, carrying a purple nightgown with orange patterns.

"Oh," I stared at the somewhat unflattering garments, "Thank… you."

"You are welcome, dear." Yukari grinned with satisfaction.

_Something _horrible _must be waiting for me tomorrow._

"Sweet dreams, plaything. ~" She got up and slowly shut the door.


	6. Toast

Chapter 6: Toast.

Next morning came and I rolled around in my bed, hesitating to get up, when I glanced to my right to see Yukari, peering directly in front of my face.

"Good morning, plaything." Yukari greeted me. She nuzzled her parasol tip under my chin, "Get up. You've got some chores to do today."

_Oh drat. They're probably something like carrying her, Ran, and Chen in a wheel-less stagecoach while trotting on flaming tacks. _

I sighed, "What would those chores be like?"

Yukari chuckled then viciously yanked me out of bed by my leash and dropped me on the floor; "You'll just have to see yourself."

Groaning, I picked myself up and entered the main room – Noticing Chen was asleep on the floor.

"Oh no, no, dear. You can't do anything in that." She opened a border and took out the same dress I had on the day before. She shoved it over my head, I didn't even notice that the nightgown had disappeared.

"Now plaything, if you are of any actual worth, then you can cook."

_Sweet, I'm good at that._

"But you must be innovative." Her face stayed in an unnatural neutral.

… _Aw, dang. _

Yukari's eyes twinkled in a diamond-like fashion that I knew all too well, "Since the first meal of the day is breakfast… I'll need something of that order, but what in Gensokyo could I want? ~"

An epiphany washed over the youkai's face, "I've got it!"

I prepared for the worst.

"Toast!"

_Toast?_

"Toast?"

"Toast!"

_What?_ _There's _got to be _a twist._

Yukari fashioned her devilish smirk onto her face, "But as you can see, there is no toaster. So you'll have to figure it out yourself."

_I knew it._

I surveyed the kitchen, the purple and red abyss sat on a corner shelf and spewed out countless loaves of bread. The border mistress walked to the couch and settled lazily by Chen, stroking her red vest.

_What the heck do I use for a _toaster_?_

I looked at the oven – no good. The toaster oven? Nope. There was no other way to prepare toast. The only way involved an extra item, not a toaster.

Slowly, I walked over to Yukari's couch and stood in front of her like a maid. My mouth popped open but no words came out.

"I… Uh. Do you have a branding iron?"

"Nope." Yukari rolled on her side and pulled a hot circle on a stick out from a border. "I do now."

She handed me the iron and resumed her position on the couch.

I almost pressed the iron against the flaky bread when I remembered…

_Burned! How black does she want it?_

"M-miss Yukari?" I hollered.

"What?" snapped Yukari.

"How crisp… do you want it?"

Her face shined a little, "Very black, plaything."

Without a word, I continued to cook her toast.

A couple minutes later, I had cooked a whole loaf of bread with varying crispiness on each slice. I plopped two of the darkest slices on a plate and handed it to my 'master'.

She refused to take it, her face spilled out with disgust.

"Tell me, girl." Her tone turned sinister. "What do you see _missing_ from this platter?"

I was silent.

"Butter!" She flipped the plate up into my face. "Get the butter and bring it back!"

Scurrying to the kitchen cupboards, I raced to find the butter.

_What am I looking in _cupboards _for?_

Realizing my stupidity, I found the butter in the refrigerator door. I spread it neatly onto the previously rejected slices and handed them back to Yukari.

"_Thank_ you." She returned to normal, with a little touch of happy.

Yukari showed no thanks or appreciation. She simply ate the toast and handed me the plate. Starting to wash it, she heard the running water and objected.

"No, no, dear. Dishes are for Ran." Yukari got off the couch and stretched. "Oh, look who it is."

Both of us looked to the door to the west of the kitchen and saw Ran entering.

"Couldn't help but overhear." The kitsune winked at me. "Thank you for helping."

From that, I was given a little burst of confidence.

_Perhaps Yukari is just Tsundere in a sadist sort of way? At least Ran's nice. I think I'll just cooperate until she decides what to do with me. _

I stared at the Yakumos and the sleeping Chen curled up on the floor.

_Yeah. That's what I'll do._

"So…" I started, "What do you want me to do?"


	7. Household Chores

Chapter 7: Household Chores

Yukari did her usual pondering, "When Chen wakes up, you can go on guard duty with her, but for now…" She waggled her finger at Ran, "You can do yard work with Ran."

The shikigami walked over to me and took my hand, "Come on." She smiled.

_I like Ran better already._

Ran opened the door to reveal a massive backyard full of hedges, topiaries, and foliage of all sorts. Various types of trees (some taken from the real world) were scattered about the yard that seemed acres long.

"Kinomi." Ran snapped me out of my daze.

"What?"

She pointed to a pile of curios sitting by a tiny shed. "Your job is to move that pile into the shed and to arrange everything by whatever order seems fitting to you."

"That's it?"

"That is it."

I started walking to the pile, "What're you going to do?"

Walking towards her work, she hollered but did not look at me, "Trim some hedges, pick some fruit. And if you find any large clippers, let me know!"

_It's more labor intensive than making toast without a toaster, but not as demanding._

I skimmed the surface of the packrat pile for a moment. It was odd to see expensive vases, cookware, televisions, magazines, sewing kits, and even a swimming pool mashed in such a weird way.

"Okay…" I heaved a heavy breath, picking up the first vase.

Muttering under my breath, I told myself encouraging words to better lift the heavy objects.

About an hour had passed and the shed was organized and full of pricey things that Yukari probably collected for no reason. The only thing left was the pool.

_What to do with this…_

"Hey Ran!"

The kitsune descended behind me. "What is it?"

Showing her the pool, I gave her a quizzical look. "This." She peered at it. "How do I move it?"

"Hmm." Ran tapped her foot. "I've got it."

She turned around and firmly planted her feet in the ground, tightening her fists and inhaling deeply.

"!"

The words boomed and nearly caused a massive earthquake. Leaves from Ran's clipping had rattled all over the yard. In just seconds after the cry, the little nekomata appeared in front of her master.

"You called, Master!"

Ran spoke to her shikigami with a coach-esque tone, "Move that!"

"Move it where?"

"Over there!"

"Yes, Ran-sama!" Saluting, Chen charged at the pool with great speed and pushed it to the back of the yard.

"Good, Chen. You can go now."

"Okay!"

The little cat skipped off as if nothing had happened.

"Well," said Ran, "Now that _that's_ over with, you can see what Yukari-sama wants you to do now."

"Sure. Thanks for helping, Ran."

She waved and smiled lazily, "No prob."

I ran into the house, carefully getting every trace of mud off my shoes at the mat before the entry door. Yukari popped in front of me, hanging upside-down from a border. All her locks of hair fell like a waterfall.

"I can tell you were looking for me?" She beamed.

"Yes. What should I do next?"

"Well," She summoned a new border directly below her and fell into it. A couple seconds later, she came out, holding Chen by the collar, "You can go on guard duty with Chen."

_Oh snap._

Both borders disappeared; Yukari dropped Chen, and walked off. To where she was going, I didn't know, but it was highly possible it was one of her seven-hour naps.

The cat – who was six inches shorter than me – stared at me as if she had power over me.

"You heard her!" She shoved me out the door with her, "Go!"

"I don't even know where we're going!" I protested.

Chen's face turned blank – returning to the childish features that she had when I first arrived. "Oh yeah."

She skipped merrily along, dragging me by my leash and occasionally jingling the bells.

"Here we are," She said with massive pride, "The place that I defend _every day_."

It took me a moment to take in the surroundings, then a familiar saying popped into my head.

"_It wavered in the village in which people are not. 'Mayohiga', village of apparitions, has always refused humans."_


End file.
